Chick-fil-A in Pasadena will go forward after council deadlock

A deadlocked Pasadena City Council vote on May 5, 2014, means plans for a new Chick-fil-A restaurant at 1700 E. Colorado Blvd., will go forward. (Photo by J. Reed, reproduced under the CC BY-SA 2.0 license)

Plans to build a Chick-fil-A restaurant across from Pasadena City College Wednesday, April 8, 2014, were put on hold Monday after a divided council approved a request by Councilman Terry Tornek to revisit the restaurant chain´s request for building permits. (Photo by Walt Mancini/Pasadena Star-News)The project, which calls for an expansion of the existing drive-thru as well as removal of two protected trees, among other changes at the former Burger King site, was approved by a hearing officer in December and granted a conditional use permit by the Board of Zoning Appeals in March. However, Tornek requested the project be revisited. Councilmen John Kennedy, Gene Masuda and Steve Madison and Councilwoman Jacque Robinson supported Tornek´s request, while Mayor Bill Bogaard and Councilwoman Margaret McAustin voted against the delay. Councilman Victor Gordo was absent.

PASADENA >> Get ready for Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches on East Colorado Boulevard.

Two deadlocked 4-4 votes of the City Council on Monday night paved the way for the restaurant to take over a vacant Burger King and expand the eatery’s drive up lane. The tie votes prevented the council from overturning a previous decision that approved the restaurant.

Not everyone was happy.

“This is really putting lipstick on a chicken, and I think we should really not tolerate it,” City Councilman Terry Tornek said. “It is a terrible land-use decision on a highly visible incredibly importantly located site.”

Councilmen John Kennedy, Victor Gordo and Gene Masuda sided with Tornek. Councilwomen Jacque Robinson and Margaret McAustin, Mayor Bill Bogaard and Councilman Steve Madison voted for the fast-food restaurant, that is both loved and reviled.

“I predict ... that years from now as Colorado Boulevard develops and really becomes what it should be and can be in this part of Pasadena, people will be scratching their head and saying, ‘How did that ever get there?’” Tornek said.

Bogaard defended the restaurant, which will be within walking distance of the college.

“This is a case where we have the opportunity to support significant new investment in the city, to allow beautification of a parcel that has certainly some deficiencies with regard to its appearance in the neighborhood,” Bogaard said. “The alternative ... for the foreseeable future is the status quo, which is certainly not desirable.”

Chick-fil-A spokeswoman Jennifer Daw said the restaurant will employ 80 to 100 locals as well as 300 workers during construction.

Though some have accused Tornek and his supporters of discriminating against Chick-fil-A for the company CEO’s anti-gay statements, Pasadena Planning Director Vince Bertoni assured the council and the public that staff cannot prohibit certain businesses from coming into the city.

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“The city doesn’t under its jurisdiction decide whether a particular type of business can go in or not,” Bertoni said. “It’s important to keep that in mind.”

One resident spoke in opposition to the new Chick-fil-A, arguing that the use would be detrimental to the nearby residential neighborhood and criticizing the traffic study. Two others, including a PCC student, spoke in favor, arguing that the site is an eyesore as a vacant former Burger King and shelters a few homeless people.

Chick-fil-A will be located at 1700 E. Colorado Blvd. and is tentatively scheduled to open later this year.